Method and apparatus for developing prints



Sept. 21 1926. 1,600,217

a. M. DYE

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEVELOPING PRINTS Filed Feb. 9, 1925 '2 Sheets-Sheei 1 Ft J. 3

36 if INVEN 7'0/7. GLEN M. DYE.

57 I105 flTTOfiNEY.

Sept. 21, 1926. 1,600,217

G. M. DYE

IETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEVELOPING PRINTS Filed Feb. 9, 1925 2 Sh eets-Sheet 2 l8 u Eff j l6 /7 1 I N vE N 7'0/5.

Patented Sept. 21, 1926.

UNITED STATES GLEN m. pm, or Mums-aroma, mnss'ora.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEVELOPING PRINTS.

Application filed Iebruary 8, 1925. Serial No. 7,828.

invention relates to a method and handling. photographic apparatus I for prints or negatives and particularly to a machine for developing prints and nega- 5 tives. Ill modern print handling estabhshmentsit is desire of the operations thereon and it is desirable to have the prints moved and handled ssible.

.0 -as quickly as ect of this inventionthere It is-an oh fore to provi e a simple and 'eflicient dB' v'elopinga paratus comprising a receptacle through w oh the prints are moved until .5 they are properly developed.

It is also an object of this inventlon to provide a developing apparatus having of the devlce taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. i

'2, as indicated by the arrows;

'means for submergmg the'prints in thedeveloping liquid, and means for repeatedly io'cngaging and raising the prints in the.

liquid and againdepositing or' freeing the same in the liquid.

It is a'fuher object of the invention to provide a method of handling prints which :a consists in submerging the prints in thedeveloping liquid and-repeatedl an'd 'succes sively engaging said-prints 1n the'liquid and moving the same through said liquid. It' is a further object of the invention to m provide a developing apparatus cpmprising means for 'submerg'ing the prints, an

means for engaging the prints in the de veloping liquid, and movmg the same through the liquid in said receptacle. 1 5 It is a further object ofthe invention to provide a novel and etficient structure of. receptacle for a developing a aratus.

It is anotherobject of t is invention to provide a developing apparatus comprising ;1.receptacle adapted to contain the developing liquid,ttogether with means for pro- 'gressivelymoving the prints through said receptacle so that the stage of development of the prints and the time they have been in the developer are definitely .related to their position in said receptacle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a developing apparatus comprising' a receptacle adapted to contain the develop 1 ing liquid, toget er with means for-progressively moving the prints through said rcce tacle at a uniform rate of-speed.

it is still another object of the invention to provide a developing apparatus compris I ing a receptacle adapted to contain the dele to have the prints moveprogressively th ough the various stagesveloping liquid, a submer 'ng means for submergmg the prints, an means for lifting an movin the prints operated in synchromsm wlt said submerging means whereby there is a minimum of friction on the prints.

These and other ob'ects and advantages of the invention will he fully set forth in the followin description made in eomlection with t e accompanying drawings in which like reference c aracters refer tothe same parts throughout the difi'erent views, and in which, V 1 is a view in side elevation ofthe device; I

F'g. 2 is a top plan view of the device; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectio of a portion Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the device 'taken on the line -icf Fig-3, as indicated by the arrows' and Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken-on the line 5-5 of Fig; 4, as indicated by the arrows, Figs. enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a frame: having four vertical posts 6 connected at the top by suitable cross ieces 7 having a lateor'board 8 exten ing therebetween a 'acent their hottoms 'and a top plate or board 9 'at their 4 and 5 being-shown on an upper end. Supported upon theftop plate 9 -is a'recept'acle 10. While this receptacle might have various shapes, in the embodiment of the invention shown, it is illustrated as of elongated rectangular shape and the same has spaced upstanding narrow members or ribs 10 extending above the bottom thereof and in the embodiment ofthe invention illustrated, the ribs 10 are shown as integral with the bottom of the receptacle. v

Shafts 1:1 and 12 extend across receptacle 10 adjacent its respective ends and adjacent the top thereof, sa d shafts being journaled in the sides-of said receptacle. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the shafts 11 and 12 are 'offset inwardly of the tank to form crank shafts and depending members 13: and 14 are bent into hook shape at their upper 'ends and are suspended on said crank shafts,

the members preferably being in the form of plates. 'The members 13 and 14 have secured'thcreto adjacent the lower end a plutively between said ribs.

' a short distancefrom said bar in 'a henwardly of said bearings, s rockets 21. Each sprocket 21 is connected post a grooved zontal direction, are then bent downwardly toward the bottom of rece tacle 10, thenextend forwardly substantia 1y horizontally havin a downward offset adJaoent the end of sand latter horizontal portion and then extend vertically above the top of receptacle 10, as shown in Fig; 3. Ateach side of therod 17 the bar 16carries a rod 18. which proljects forwardly and restsp on a-grooved mu tilated pulle 19, the lp ley 19 being secured upon the crank po ion of shaft 12 inside of the receptacle 10.- The pulleys 19 have a flat side 19 as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The shafts lland 12 extend across the top of plate 9 and are 'orunaled' in bearings 20 secured at. one e' g'e of said plate and said shafts have secured thereto outachain 22 to a shaft 24 'ournaled sprocket 23 secured 11 11 p0 afts also in bearings on the posts 6, which carry at their outer endssprockets 25. A

chain 26' runs over both of sprockets25 and over a s rocket 27 carried on a shaft 28 journale in one of the posts 6, which shaft also has secured thereto inwardly of said ulley 29. The pulley 29 1s driven by a be t 30-running over a pulley secured to the' armature shaft of amotor 31 secured to the plate 8, which motor is illus-' trated as of the electrical type The to plate 9 also has secured thereto an elongat or oblong receptacle 32 having semi-circular end portions. The receptacle 10 also has secured thereto a chute 33,. said chute being directed downwardly into said tank in froht of the vertical portions of rods 17. v In operation, the developing liquid will be placed in the receptacle 10 substantially at the height indicated by the dotted lines 34. The prints, after leavmg the printing machine, will be delivered to'the chute 33 and will, slide down the same in frontof the rods 17 as'indicated by the print 35 shown in dotted lines in Fi 5. The motor 31 will be in operation an motion will be transmitted to the shaftsll and'12 through the chains and sprockets described so that said shafts are driven in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5.

'when they are in'their u er osition and substantially at the limit of their move to the right when they are substantially in the prints as the prints slide downwardly .porting andtraversin the liquid or submerged therein. As the -moved a slight distance toward the left hand the described synchronism of movement of hand end of their path of movement, as seen I in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and said rods will move toward the left'h'and end of receptacle ,10

will hence move downwar y w en they are ment to the left and saidrods will move their lowest position in the liquid and substantially between the ribs 10. The rods 17 will be oscillated. vertically about the trunnions of bar 16 so that the right hand end of said rods move substantially vertically. The rods 17, however, will not be moved uniformly with the crankgshafts 11 and 12 but as the crank. shaft moves the rods 15 downwardly the flat side '19 of the pulleys 19 will cause the rods 18 to accelerate in their downward movement or move downwardly relatively to the rods 15 so that both-rods 17 and 15 move downwardly together, the rods 17 moving relative] to the rods 15. -The rods 17, with mem rs 16 and 18, form asubmerger or a ducker for into the developin liquid and are supported by the ods 15 w ich form the nut supmeans. e print, therefore, as it slides own the chute 33, is repeatedly and successively engaged by the rods 17 and spushed under the surface of rods 1 risethe rods 15 also rise and move toward the left hand end of-the receptacle, as seen in Figs. 1 .to 3. The print is thus end f the receptacle with each movement of the rods 15 about their closed path of movement. The print, of course, 15 soon completely submer ed and passes out of the range of contactwlth rods 17 andcontinues its travel lengthwise of the receptacle on the rods 15, said print bein repeatedly engaged and raised by sai rods, moved a short distance toward the left hand end of the receptacle in saidliquid, and again deposited or freed in the liquid. Owing to rods 15 and 17, there is a minimum of'rubhing movement or friction on the surface of the print, the rods 17 being elevated out of'contact with the print as the rods 15 move the same to the left. The operator is seated at theside of the apparatus ad'acent thereceptacle 10 and it may be sta that the receptacle 32 \usually carries a developer arresting solution known in the trade as a The motion of the short stop. The operator watches the irints as they are developed in their travel hrough the receptacle 10. If the print larkens while still under the submer 'er omprising rods 17, the print is discar ed nd the same is made over, the time of ex osure being varied. If the print darkens fter leaving the submerger it can be saved nd the operator icks it out of the developig solution an places it in the short .op solution in receptacle 32. The narw members are provided so that the rint can be easily picked from the soluon. The print cannot sink so that it lies.

it a ainst a flat bottom but is always sup- )rte in an elevated position above the ittom of receptacle 10 so that the ed e is in nvenient position to be engaged y the igers. It is only necessary, therefore, to ake one attempt or one grab, so to speak, r the rint in order to pick the same up trans er it to rece tacle 32- If the print s not darkened su ciently by the time it aches the end of receptacle 10 it is also ide over, the time of exposure being va- Ed. The rate of travel of the print is so termined that the print reaches the left nd end of receptacle 10 at the maximum 1e that it is possible to allow the same to nain in the developer. The machine, as ng at present used in a commercial print re oping establishement, is timed for the nt to travel to the end of the receptacle in one minute. The operator therefore rely watches the prints as they travel ough the receptacle 10 and picks the same of said receptacle when they have ched the r uisite degree of darkne s, transfers t em to the receptacle 32. me prints, of course, will travel farther receptacle 10 than others before being ad out. It will be noted that the time print has been in the developing liquid, hence, its stage of development is defily related to and indicated by its posiin the receptacle. As above stated, the es 13 and 14 are provided with apertures hat they will cause less motion of the eloping liquid as they move thereugh. rom the above description it will be seen applicant has provided a sim la and cut method and apparatus for dievelo prints. The prints are automatical y 'ered to the developing apparatus, autocally submerged and moved alon in the loper. The prints are only touc ied by )perator when the same are lifted out 1e ap aratus and the apparatus is so rude that the prints will be easily end and lifted therefrom. The re ated g of the prints and the deposit t ereof e liquid causes a positive and efficient opment thereof. The machine is uite la in construction and entails very little by the operator. The machine has prints face upward in a been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportion of the parts of the apparatus and in the steps and sequence of steps of the method without departing from t e scope of ap licants invention, which, generally stated consists in a method and apparatus capable of carrying out the objects above set forth and in the novel steps and arrangement of steps and in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A developing apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain developing liquid, means for cubmerging prints in said liquid, and means for repeatedly engaging the submerged prints in the liquid, lifting the same and again depositing the-same in the liquid.

2. The method of handling photographic prints which consists in submerging the exposed prints face upward in a print-treating liquid in a rece tacle and repeatedly at substantially regu ar intervals engaging the prints in the liquid and lifting the same and again depositing the same in the liquid while maintaining said prints in horizontal position.

3. A print-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a print-treating liquid, movable means for submerging the prints in the liquid in said receptacle, and means in said receptacle for engaging said prints in said liquid, lifting 53h prints and moving the same longitudinally ofthe receptacle.

4. The method of handling prints which consists posed prints in a devel photographic in subnierging the ex-v oping liquid contained in a receptacle. and successively engaging and lifting said prints in said liquid and substantially simultaneously traversing the same in said receptacle.

5. The method of handling photographic prints which consitts in submerging staid engaging said prints on the underside and intermittently progressing the same at regular intervals in said liquid and moving the same vertically substantially between the progressions thereof.

6. A print-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain the developing liquid, and means for engaging said prints in said liquid on the underside and moving the same therethrough longitudinally of said receptacle.

T. A combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, submerging means at one end of said receptacle for submerging print-treating liquid,

print-treating apparatus having in i posed rints, and movable means in eceptacle for repeatedly and succeslifting the prints in said 1i uid, mov- 1e same longitudinally 0 the rele and again freeing the prints in said print-treating apparatus having in ration, a receptacle adapted to contain [oping liquid, movable means adjacent d of the receptacle for submerging the with their emulsion sides uppermost, for delivering the prints to said rele and submerging means, and means i rece tacle for engaging said prints )eneat and ro ressively moving the longitudinally thereof.

. print-treating apparatus having in Jation, a receptacle adapted to contain :vloping liquid in which said prints sposed, and a conveyor disposed besaid prints movable in said receptacle rogressing said prints through said longitudinally of said receptacle.

A print treatmg apparatus having in nation, a receptacle adapted to conhe developing liquid, print engaging in said liquid, and means for operatid means to cause the same intermit to engage said prints from. beneath IOVB said prints through said liquid udinally of said receptacle.

A print-treating a paratus having in nation, a receptace adapted to condeveloping liquid, means at one end i receptacle for submerging the prints, conveyor extending longitudinally of 'eceptacle for repeatedly lifting the and advancing the same longitudiof said receptacle. A print-treating a paratus having in nation, a receptac e adapted. to condeveloping liquid, print supporting in said receptacle, said means having e of movement in saidreceptacle ing a movement in one direction suball y longitudinally of said receptacle :h said liquid, then a movement subally upwardly toward the top of said a movement substantially longitudiof said receptacle in the reverse direcand then a movement substantially Nardly in said liquid, and a vertically ocating submerging means movable wardly to submerge the prints in said while said supporting means is movibstantially downwardly and disposed said supporting means when the same ving longitudinally of said receptacle :by there is substantially no rubbing nent of the prints.

A print-treating apparatus having in nation, a receptacle adapted to contain eveloping liquid, a print supporting yor in said receptacle comprising 1 rods extending longitudinally of said rece tacle and movable in closed paths in vertical planes for engaging and advancing the prints in said receptacle.

14. A print-treating apparatus having in combination, a frame, a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, means for submerging prints in said liquid, means for advancing prints in said receptacle, a second receptacle on said frame adjacent said first mentioned receptacle adapted to contain a developer arresting solution, and means on said frame for operating said first two mentioned means.

15. A rint-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, a conveyor comprising s aced rods extending longitudinally of sai receptacle for supporting prints, means for moving said rods in closed paths and lifting the prints, advancin the same and depositing said prints in the liquid, and a submerger adjacent one end ,of said conveyor comprising vertically reciprocating spaced rods.

16. A print-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, means for submerging prints in said liquid, a print su porting means co-operating with said su merging means for progressively advancing the prints in said receptacle, and an oper ating means for said submerging means and print supporting means for operating the same in synchronism. 1

17. A rint-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, crank shafts traversing said receptacle adjacent'the ends thereof, members pivotally supported on said crank shaft and depending into said receptacle, a V plurality of spaced rods secured to said members adjacent the bottom of the receptacle and extending longitudinally thereof a member extending transversely of sai receptacle adjacent one end mounted for 'oscillation about an axis extending transversely of said rece tacle, a series of spaced rods secured to sai last mentioned member extending longitudinally of said receptacle and downwardly thereinto, and means carll ried by said cranks for verticall reciprocating said last mentioned rods w ereby all of said rods are synchronously operated.

18. A print-treating apparatus comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid having spaced narrow members extendin above the bottom thereof and longitudinally thereof.

19. A print-treating apparatus comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a developing liquid, said receptacle having a plurality of spaced narrow ribs projecting upwardly from the bottom thereof and extending longitudinally of said receptacle.

20. print-treating apparatus having in i and means movable upward tain the devekping- -liquid, spaced narrow members exten m longitudinally of said receptacle above t e bottom thereof, and a print supporting conveyor in said reggtacle comprisin a plurality of spaced 8 extending longitudinall of said rece tacle and disposed respective y between sai narrow members.

21. A tint-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain print-treating liquid in which: said rints are disposed in snbstantiall flat con 'tion, y from beneath said rints for engaging the same and moving t em longitu inally of said receptacle.

22. A rint-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain print-treating liquid in which said rints are disposed in substantially flat con ition, spaced means for supporting said prints, and means disposed between said means for enga ing said prints from beneath and moving the same longitudinally of said receptacle.

23. A print-treating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to contain print-treating liquid in which said rints are disposed in substantially flat con ition, and means extending longitudinally of said receptacle for repeatedly lifting said prints and traversing the same in said receptacle.

24. A printtreating apparatus having in combination, a receptacle adapted to cont print-treating liquid in which prints are posited, and means for repeatedly engafg the submerged prints in the liquid, the same and again depositing them in liqui 25. A print-treating apparatus having combination, a receptacle adapted to coni print-treating liquid in which prints are posited, and means for repeatedly engag the submerged prints in the liquid, 'fi the same, traversing the same in the re {aclez1 and again depositing the same in 26. A print developing apparatus ha in combination, a receptacle adapted to 1 tain developin liqui in which the pr are disposed, ace upward, and means neath said prints for moving the same formly through said liquid whereb stage of development of a print will be dicated by its position in said receptacli 27. The method of developing ph graphic prints which consists in placing prints face upward in a receptacle cont ing developing liquid engaging said p1 from beneath and progressively moving same in said receptacle whereby the de of development of said prints is indic by their positions in said receptacle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signai GLEN M. DY 

